Sultan Azlan betul kata Hakim Datuk Zainun Ali

PUTRAJAYA, 7 Julai (Bernama) -- Tindakan Sultan Perak Sultan Azlan Shah adalah betul semasa melaksanakan kuasa prerogatifnya untuk meredakan pergolakan politik Perak dan mengekalkan
maruah negeri itu, kata Hakim Mahkamah Rayuan Datuk Zainun Ali.

Hakim Zainun berkata satu daripada kuasa eksekutif yang kritikal bagi seorang Raja dalam melaksanakan tanggungjawabnya mengikut perlembagaan bagi mengekalkan kententeraman awam demi kepentingan awam dan oleh itu kesedaran baginda berhubung signifikan daripada pelaksanaan kuasa prerogatifnya itu tidak boleh dipertikaikan.

"Keadaan di Perak pada masa itu boleh dianggap sebagai sudah tidak normal, tidak jika seseorang menganggapnya sebagai normal, ketegangan politik, tekanan politik yang memuncak, suspens dan pengkhianatan dan pertukaran kesetiaan politik, sebagai satu yang rutin dan semuanya dalam pekerjaan harian.

"Kematangan dan kebijaksanaan Raja adalah wajib. Pelaksanaan kuasa prerogatif ini adalah lebih kritikal jika jentera kerajaan yang normal mengalami masalah," kata Hakim Zainun dalam penghakiman bertulisnya setebal 115 muka yang dikeluarkan hari ini.

Pada 22 Mei, tiga hakim Mahkamah Rayuan yang terdiri daripada Datuk Raus Sharif, Zainun dan Datuk Ahmad Maarop telah memutuskan bahawa Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir adalah menteri besar Perak yang sah, yang mengubah keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi sebelum itu yang menyebelahi Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin.

Tidak puas hati dengan keputusan Mahkamah Rayuan, Nizar memfailkan permohonan untuk membuat rayuan, yang dijadualkan didengar di Mahkamah Persekutuan Khamis ini.

Hakim Zainun, dalam penghakimannya, berkata Sultan Azlan Shah adalah betul untuk mengadakan inkuiri bagi mengesahkan beberapa fakta dan untuk menilai kedudukan politik dengan betul sebelum memutuskan sama ada untuk memperkenan atau menangguhkan pembubaran Dewan Undangan Negeri.

"Dalam hal ini, ia mungkin kurang bijak bagi Baginda untuk membuat keputusan tanpa merujuk kepada fakta.

"Sebagai contoh, jika Baginda mendapati isi kandungan tiga pucuk surat daripada tiga ADUN (anggota dewan undangan negeri) tidak mencukupi untuk menentukan bahawa Nizar hilang majoriti, baginda boleh, dalam melaksanakan prerogatif dan budi bicaranya, mendapatkan penjelasan mengenai fakta-fakta yang terkandung di dalam surat daripada ketiga-tiga Adun itu, kata Zainun.

Oleh itu, beliau berkata keputusan hakim Mahkamah Tinggi bahawa Sultan Azlan Shah tidak layak untuk menemubual beberapa anggota dewan undangan negeri pada 5 Feb untuk menentukan siapa yang menguasai dewan itu adalah jelas salah.

Dalam penghakiman bertulis, Zainun juga berdepan dengan isu sama ada Nizar telah memohon bagi membubarkan Dewan negeri di bawah Artikel 16(6) atau Artikel 36(2) Undang-undang Tubuh negeri Perak.

"Mengikut pandangan saya, penafian Nizar bahawa permohonannya bagi pembubaran itu dibuat mengikut Artikel 16(2) dibuat atas alasan yang tidak kukuh," kata Zainun, sambil menambah kata bahawa pada 4 Feb, Nizar sama sekali menilai kedudukan politik yang tidak seimbang apabila Pakatan hanya mempunyai 28 kerusi.

"Oleh itu, sama ada atau tidak ketiga-tiga Adun itu menyokong Barisan Nasional, sebenarnya Nizar tidak lagi menikmati kedudukan majoriti apabila Pakatan hilang tiga kerusi dalam Dewan negeri.

"Ringkasnya, Nizar gagal mempertikai bahawa beliau tidak hilang sokongan atau keyakinan majoriti dewan negeri semasa beliau memohon pembubaran itu," katanya.

Ia menunjukkan bahawa dua anggota dewan undangan negeri dari Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (Behrang) dan Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu (Changkat Jering) meletakkan jawatan mereka pada 30 Jan diikuti oleh anggota dewan negeri dari DAP Hee Yit Foong (Jelapang), empat hari kemudian.

Berikutan itu, Nizar mengadap Sultan Azlan Shah pada 4 Feb untuk memohon pembubaran Dewan Negeri berikutan berikutan kebuntuan dalam Dewan negeri dengan Pakatan pembangkang dan Barisan Nasional masing-masing mempunyai 28 kerusi tetapi beliau menafikan bahawa beliau telah hilang keyakinan daripada majoriti dalam Dewan Negeri.

Berhubung isu sama ada perlu ada usul tidak percaya diluluskan terhadap Nizar dalam Dewan Negeri, Zainun berkata bahawa terdapat usaha alternatif dan cara-cara yang tidak berkaitan bagi melahirkan kurangnya sokongan.

"Adakah usul dibuat dalam Dewan untuk menentukan hilangnya keyakinan dari majoriti anggota satu kebiasaan di negara ini? Dan oleh itu ia mengikat?".

"Ia membingungkan bahawa jika Nizar telah meletakkan keutamaan sebagai kelaziman bahawa penentuan hilang keyakinan hanya boleh diterima melalui satu usul dari dalam Dewan, mengapa tindakan seperti ini tidak diambil," kata Zainun.

"Jika Nizar benar-benar merasakan bahawa beliau mempunyai peluang , beliau boleh memohon dengan baginda supaya sidang dewan diadakan, yang tidakpun diadakan, sebaliknya memohon ia dibubarkan."

Zainun berkata, sebenarnya, pada 2 Feb, Nizar masih mempunyai satu majoriti, memandangkan anggota dewan wanita dari Jelapang masih belum meletak jawatan.

Mengenai sama ada Sultan Azlan Shah tersilap melantik Dr Zambry sebagai Menteri Besar yang baru, Zainun berkata: "Melaksanakan hak prerogatif baginda, mengikut undang-undang, telah merampas hak Nizar untuk kekal sebagai menteri besar.

"Dalam hubungan ini, kedudukan Nizar sebagai Menteri Besar tidak lagi dapat dipertahankan. Pengumuman media yang dibuat pihak Istana pada 6 Feb adalah semata-mata pengisytiharan mengenai kedudukan yang sah. Saya tidak perlu kata, sudah tentu, bahawa pelantikan Dr Zambry dalam keadaan itu cukup-cukup di dalam lingkungan kuasa prerogatif baginda selaras dengan Perlembagaan Perak," katanya.

Pada 13 Feb, Nizar, 52, memfailkan permohonan di mahkamah bagi mengisytiharkan bahawa beliau pada sebilang masa adalah menteri besar Perak.

Nizar, yang dilantik sebagai menteri besar pada 17 Mac tahun lepas selepas selepas parti pakatan pembangkang DAP-PKR-Pas memenangi 31 kerusi dalam pilihan raya umum ke-12 juga memohon pengisytiharan bahawa Dr Zambry tidak berhak untuk memegang jawatan menteri besar dan juga injunksi untuk menghalang beliau daripada menjalankan tugas. - BERNAMA

ENGLISH

PUTRAJAYA, July 7 (Bernama) -- Sultan Azlan Shah was right in exercising his prerogative powers to contain the Perak political tension and maintain the dignity of the state, Court of Appeal judge Datuk Zainun Ali said.

Justice Zainun said one of the most critical executive powers of the ruler was his constitutional duty to maintain peace and order for the public good, and therefore his consciousness of the significance of the exercise of his prerogative powers could not be understated.

"The situation in Perak at the relevant time could be viewed as being bereft of normalcy, not unless one views as normal, the political tension, intense political pressure, suspense and shifting political loyalties and betrayals, as being routine and all in a day''s work.

"The maturity and wisdom of the ruler is incumbent. The exercise of this prerogative power is all the more critical if the normal government machinery breaks down," Zainun said in her 115-page judgment which made available today.

On May 22, the three Court of Appeal judges consisting of Datuk Raus Sharif, Zainun and Datuk Ahmad Maarop ruled that Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir was the legitimate menteri besar of Perak, reversing an earlier High Court decision in Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin''s favour.

Dissatisfied with the Appeal Court''s ruling, Nizar filed an application for leave to appeal, which is scheduled to be heard at the Federal Court this Thursday.

Justice Zainun, in her judgment said Sultan Azlan Shah was right in holding an enquiry to confirm certain facts and to assess the political position correctly before deciding whether or not to grant or withold a request for the State Legislative Assembly''s dissolution.

"In this regard it might have been imprudent for His Royal Highness to make a decision without regard to the facts.

"For instance, if His Royal Highness were to find that the contents of the three letters from the three Adun (state assseemblymen) were insufficent in ascertain Nizar''s loss of majority, he can, in his exercise of his prerogative and discretion, seek clarification of the facts contained in the letters from the three Adun," reasoned Zainun.

Thus, she said, the finding of the High Court judge that Sultan Azlan Shah was not entitled to interview the various members of the legislative asssembly on Feb 5 to ascertain who commanded the majority in the house was plainly wrong.

Zainun also dealt with the issue of whether Nizar had made the request for the dissolution of the state legislative assembly under Article 16(6) or Article 36(2) of the Perak Constitution.

"It is my view that Nizar''s denial that his request for dissolution was made under Article 16(2) stands on flimsy ground," she said, adding that as at Feb 4, Nizar was completely apprised of the political imbalance when Pakatan had only 28 seats.

"Thus, whether or not the three Adun support the Barisan Nasional, the fact remains that Nizar no longer enjoy majority position when Pakatan lost the three seats in the legislative assembly.

"In short, Nizar was unable to credibly dispute that he had not lost the support or confidence of the majority of the legislative assembly at the time he requested for dissolution," she said.

The facts showed that the two Party Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) assemblymen, Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (Behrang) and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu (Changkat Jering), resigned from their posts on Jan 30, followed by DAP assemblyman Hee Yit Foong (Jelapang), four days later.

Following that, Nizar had an audience with Sultan Azlan Shah on Feb 4 to request the dissolution of the state assembly due to the deadlock in the House with Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional having 28 seats each, but he denied that he had lost the majority confidence of the assembly.

On the issue of whether there must be a motion of no confidence passed against Nizar in the legislative assembly, Zainun, said that there were alternative means and extraneous ways of expressing lack of support.

"Is a motion taken on the floor of the assembly to determine loss of the confidence of the majority members a convention in this country? And therefore binding?"

"It is baffling that if Nizar had indeed put such great store by the convention that the determination of loss of confidence could only be accepted through a motion taken on the floor of the assembly, why was this course of action not taken?" Zainun said.

"If Nizar truly felt that he stood an even chance, he could have requested His Royal Highness for a convening of the legislative assembly, which was then not sitting, instead of requesting for a dissolution."

Zainun added that in fact, as at Feb 2, Nizar still had a majority of one, since the assemblywoman from Jelapang had still not resigned.

On the question of whether Sultan Azlan Shah was wrong in appointing Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir as the new menteri besar, Zainun said: "The exercise of His Royal Highness'' prerogative had legally forfeited Nizar''s right to remain the menteri besar.

"In that regard, Nizar''s position as menteri besar was no longer tenable. The media announcement made by the palace on Feb 6 was nothing but a mere declaration of the legal position. I need not say, of course, that Zambry''s appointment in the circumstances was properly within His Royal Highness'' prerogative power pursuant to the Perak Constitution," she said.

On Feb 13, Nizar, 52, filed an application to the court for a declaration that he is at all material times the menteri besar of Perak.

Nizar, who was appointed menteri besar on March 17 last year after the Parti Pakatan Rakyat-led alliance won 31 seats in the 12th general election, also sought a declaration that Dr Zambry has no right to hold the office of menteri besar and an injunction to bar him from discharging his duties. -BERNAMA


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